Dioses (2008)

Unlike Days of Santiago (starring a former sailor who tries to readjust to civilian life), the protagonists of Gods belong to a family from Lima’s elite, made up of Agustín, a prosperous businessman (Edgar Saba), and his two teenage children: Andrea (Anahí de Cárdenas), the older daughter, and Diego (Sergio Gjurinovic). Agustín enjoys a strong position, not only economically but socially as well; consequently, the relationship he begins with Elisa (Maricielo Effio), a woman outside his social circle and much younger than he is, does not affect his standing in the slightest. Diego, meanwhile, has to deal with his inability to fit into the plans his father has for his future, while also trying to control the incestuous desire he feels for his sister. Most of the story takes place at a beach south of Lima, where the family’s summer house is located. At the beginning, the two siblings appear at a party for young people. Andrea moves from one man’s arms to another, despite Diego’s protests. The action then shifts to the family home, where another party is taking place and Agustín introduces Elisa to his friends. When Diego arrives, all he does is make his father uncomfortable; Agustín reproaches him for being late and for the way he is dressed. Although Agustín forbids him to go into the kitchen, Diego heads there immediately afterward. Unlike his relationship with his father, Diego feels more at ease with Nelly and Inés (Magaly Solier), the two domestic workers in the house. The next day, after a fraught family breakfast (during which Andrea mistakes Elisa for the “new maid”), Diego travels to Lima to meet his father at his factory. His son’s indecisive attitude, still unsure about working at the company, only exasperates Agustín, who is even annoyed by the model of car Diego chooses as a gift: a Suzuki pickup, “a toy car,” instead of a Ford F150, “exclusive, the only one in Peru, elegant,” which Agustín has already chosen for him. Meanwhile, Elisa is left alone in the house, where, while talking to one of the domestic workers, she begins to learn about the lifestyle of her new neighbors there. Andrea, for her part, notices her changing body while working as a model.